Ted Cruz on Foreign Policy

Cuba is oppressive but never misses chance to propagandize

Q: I have one more Ebola question. And, believe it or not, it's about Cuba. Former Cuban President Fidel Castro says that he is only too happy to join the US after our plea for other countries to step up and help fight Ebola.
He said that Cuba will be sending 460 doctors and nurses. What do you make of that?

CRUZ: Well, look, Fidel Castro and Raul Castro, they never miss a chance to push propaganda.
You know, what I can tell is, the Castro brothers have put in place a brutal regime that oppresses their citizens, that murders their citizens, that tortures and imprisons their citizens.
And the Castros are never shy to jump up and engage in some propaganda to criticize the United States.

Vigorous sanctions against Putin; help eastern Ukraine

Q: President Obama condemned the shoot down of the Malaysian Airliner over Ukraine, but he has not announced any new action against the Russians. How would President Cruz handle Putin?

CRUZ: What we appear to know right now is it appears to have been a
Buk Russian missile, and that kind of technology is not randomly found on the streets. That likely found its way into the hands of Russian rebels and Russian separatists in Ukraine because of Putin's direct involvement.

Q: So, how would you get Putin
to stop?

CRUZ: We should do a number of things. One, we need vigorous sanctions. We need sanctions that target the Russian energy sector, the Russian financial sector that put serious consequences for what Putin is doing. Two, we should immediately
reinstate the antiballistic missile batteries in Eastern Europe that President Obama canceled in 2009 in an effort to appease Russia. And three, we need to open up the export of liquid natural gas, which will help liberate Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

America is indispensable; our allies need our leadership

Q: Ambassador Rice responded to your criticism--

CRUZ: Well, you know, I just got back last week from traveling to Israel and Ukraine and Poland and Estonia. One of the things Ambassador Rice said that was absolutely correct is that
American is the indispensable leader. But what our allies are expressing over and over again is that leadership is missing.
And the most frequent thing you hear when you talk to an ambassador, a foreign minister of our friends and allies is they pull you aside quietly in hushed tones; they say, "Where is America?"
When America's weak, when the American president is weak, it leaves our friends and allies vulnerable.

Sanctions on Putin for Ukraine: tyrants respond to weakness

Q: On Russia's invasion of Ukraine:

CRUZ (VIDEO TAPE): A critical reason for Putin's aggression has been President Obama's weakness. That Putin fears no retribution. You better believe Putin sees in Benghazi four Americans are murdered and nothing
happens. There is no retribution. You better believe that Putin sees that in Syria, Obama draws a red line and ignores the red line.

Q: (ON CAMERA): So how would you stand up? What would you do? Military action?

CRUZ: No. No, look, not at all.

Q: Sanctions? Would you do sanctions?

CRUZ: Absolutely, yes. There are a host of things we can do. Let's rewind the clock a little bit. #1, don't demonstrate weakness for five years. We have seen historically over and over again tyrants respond to
weakness. We keep making that mistake with Putin. Putin is a KGB thug. When the protests began in Ukraine, the president should have stood unapologetically, emphatically for freedom. And when the US doesn't speak for freedom, tyrants notice.

US has a responsibility to defend our values abroad

Q: Ted Cruz's approach--tough sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine--stands in stark contrast with fellow tea partier Rand Paul. Just days before Putin invaded Crimea, Paul said: "I think we need to have a respectful, sometimes adversarial,
but a respectful relationship with Russia. Some on our side are so stuck in the Cold War era, they want to tweak Russia all the time, and I don't think that's a good idea." What's your reaction to that?

CRUZ: I'm a big fan of Rand Paul.
I don't agree with him on foreign policy. I think U.S. leadership is critical in the world. And I agree with him that we should be very reluctant to deploy military force aboard. But I think there is a vital role, just as Ronald Reagan did. When
Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an "evil empire," when he stood in front of the Brandenburg Gate and said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall," those words changed the course of history. The United States has a responsibility to defend our values.